Erosion damages beaches in Đà Nẵng and Hội An

A section of sea dike on Mỹ Khê Beach in Đà Nẵng damaged by erosion. High waves and heavy rains have washed away concrete dikes on the beach over the past several days. Photo courtesy of Nguyễn Thành

ĐÀ NẴNG — Erosion has washed away a 100m section of sand and dike on the pristine Mỹ Khê Beach on the Sơn Trà peninsula, threatening the entertainment, trade and tourism sites on the beach.

The Sơn Trà Tourism management division said uninterrupted rain and rising sea waves in the last three weeks damaged up to 20m of dike and walkways on the beach. Some of the concrete dike’s foundation has been exposed, forcing local traders to move their bars to safer places.

Earlier, erosion was found at Mân Thái Beach, 3km away from Mỹ Khê Beach.

Sandbags and bamboo piles have been used to reinforce the beach dike before an emergency plan to protect the beach is launched by the city.

Bamboo walls are used to protect Cửa Đại beach in Hội An from erosion. The beach saw serious damage from high waves between October and December. Photo courtesy of Đà Nẵng Public Security Newspaper

The worst erosion recorded on the Đà Nẵng coast in recent years has caused residents to worry that the beach could soon disappear if no protection measures are proposed.

Older fishermen living in coastal villages on the Sơn Trà Peninsula recalled that a large forest of casuarina trees, which had been growing since the 1960s, had helped protect the beach from erosion. However, rapid development of beach hotels and resorts has gradually chipped away at the natural ‘green’ dike.

The fishermen also said the coastline had long ago been protected by coral reefs all along the beach, but the reef was damaged in the 1980s.

Đà Nẵng, which has 90km of coastline, is home to 11 public beaches.

Erosion has damaged 200m on Cửa Đại Beach in neighbouring Hội An over the past few weeks.

The central province of Quảng Nam has called an emergency over the situation at Cửa Đại Beach, where a rapid response has been prepared to save the beach from the worst damage.

Erosion has been recorded in Cửa Đại Beach over the past few decades.

At a recent scientific conference, experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warned that the serious erosion of the coastline in Quảng Nam and Đà Nẵng is caused by rising sea levels, poor management of the Vu Gia-Thu Bồn river system and rapid urbanisation. VNS